Jacqueline Ma, a former San Diego County "Teacher of the Year," was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two of her students.
The once celebrated educator, admitted to grooming and engaging in lewd acts with minors as young as 11 and 12 years old.
This true crime case shocked the San Diego community, especially since Ma had been honored as one of the city’s top educators just months before her arrest in early 2023.
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| Jacqueline Ma crying in court |
How the Crimes Unfolded
The criminal case against Jacqueline Ma began in March 2023, when the mother of a 12-year-old boy contacted the National City Police Department.
This was after she discovered
love letters and disturbing text messages between her son and his teacher.
The messages, exchanged over a 10-month period, revealed an inappropriate relationship that included sexually explicit conversations.
Jacqueline Ma sent him explicit pictures of herself and asked him to take and send her videos of himself performing sex acts,
as reported by New York Post.
She grew angry and frustrated whenever he didn’t reply to her sickening requests.
According to police reports, Ma told the boy to either delete their messages or use “vanish mode,” a feature that automatically deletes texts, in order to avoid leaving any evidence.
Despite her efforts to hide key evidence, investigators found several incriminating messages stored in a hidden app on Ma’s phone.
In some messages, Ma said she was sad that their relationship wouldn’t last and felt bad that he would one day date girls his own age.
Don’t forget—parenting apps like
Scentry or
Bark allows you to monitor your child’s messages on all social media platform
They were made to help you catch predators like Jacqueline Ma, who usually hide in plain sight.
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| Jacqueline Ma |
A Second Victim is Uncovered
According to police reports, he was Jacqueline Ma's current victim at the time of her arrest.
The victim told police that Ma had sent him sexually charged messages, which made him uncomfortable.
In one message, the child wrote: “Sometimes I think you don’t understand that I am a kid still and this is my only real relationship,” according to police reports.
He also described an incident where she arranged a private meeting in her classroom, removed her shirt, and tried to get close to him, but he was scared and left immediately.
When Detective Colleen Stanich questioned Ma, she admitted that her relationship with the first boy was "complicated" and that she may have "blurred the lines."
However, the overwhelming evidence revealed a clear and ongoing exploitation of her role as a teacher.
Ma was initially charged with 21 felony counts, including lewd acts on a child and possession of child sexual abuse material.
But after the second victim was found, more charges were added.
She ultimately pleaded guilty to four counts, sparing the victims and their families a trial.
The plea agreement also saved her from a lengthy prison sentence, as she was originally facing over 150 years behind bars.
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| Jacqueline Ma in Court |
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| Jacqueline Ma in Court |
A Shocking Fall From Grace
Jacqueline Ma, 36, was a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City, California.
She was hired in 2013, and she built a reputation as a dedicated educator
In August 2022, she was named Teacher of the Year in San Diego, along with four other educators.
But just seven months later, in March 2023, she was arrested on campus after police uncovered the evidence of her sexual abuse of the two underage students.
Once an award-winning teacher, Ma is now a convicted sex offender, serving a prison sentence that would keep her behind bars for at least 30 years.
At her sentencing hearing, Ma tearfully apologized, saying, “I ripped away their childhood. Instead of following the path of what a teacher should be, I let my selfishness override the boys’ best interests"
San Diego Superior Court Judge Enrique Camarena, who gave the verdict, called Ma’s actions a "prolonged pattern of child sexual abuse," not just a single mistake.
If you want to stay ahead of predators like Jacqueline Ma, Sentry and Bark can help.
In addition to monitoring your child's messages, you can block apps and limit screen time so they’re not always online.
This true crime case is another grim reminder that abusers can hide in plain sight, even in trusted role.
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